A Vehicle for Prison Chaplains in Egypt

“Today, you will be with Me in Paradise” (Lk. 23:43). That was the promise of Jesust to the good thief hanging beside Him on the cross. Today, it is often the prison chaplains who witness similar miracles of conversion in the hearts of former criminals when they encounter Jesus.

“Special hospitals for souls” is how one priest, who worked for many years as a prison chaplain, once described prisons. Many of the prisoners are broken, spiritually, psychologically, and morally, and simply don’t know how to escape the vicious cycle they are trapped in. As a result, the priest must exercise a great deal of patience, tact, and empathy in order to gain the trust of those involved.

Tangible acts of kindness are often what prompts reflection by those who initially wanted nothing to do with faith or religion. “Why is this priest doing this for us?” they ask themselves when the chaplains press for the prisoners to be treated more humanely, given that conditions in many countries are appalling, with tiny, vermin-infested, and overcrowded cells. Many prisoners die for lack of medical treatment; brutality and torture are common. That anyone should even care about their well-being is the first sign for these prisoners of love and respect shown for their human dignity. It is then that many begin to ask questions and talk to the priest about their lives.

The most important step, then, is to acknowledge their sins, feel remorse, and resolve to start anew. Once they are able to open their hearts to God’s mercy, they are able to start on the road of inner healing and to a new life.

Support and accompaniment are also vital for the prisoners’ families, who are often left without their sole breadwinner and face real material, social, and spiritual poverty. Given this reality, chaplains reach out to the families as well.

Thanks to your help, we are able to support the prison ministry in many different countries. In Egypt, for example, the prisons are deliberately built out in the desert, far from the population centers, so that a vehicle is an indispensable necessity for the chaplains.

To address these issues in the Diocese of Al Qusia, we are helping with $11,800 for a suitable vehicle.

Again and again, we are asked to help with the training of the prison chaplains, and also with Bibles and other religious texts, so that the prisoners can learn more about Jesus.

Will you help us so God’s mercy can continue to work miracles of conversion in the hearts of former criminals?

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